Life as a college student is hectic. Students strive to find the balance between work, school and a social life all while also trying to remain healthy, active and fit. Though sometimes it’s hard to find motivation to hit the gym, the opposite can also be true.
It is easy to fall into the mindset that you must workout hard every single day if you are trying to reach a goal or maybe if you stayed on the couch a little too long the week before. However, it is important to note that rest days are as crucial as days you work out. Your body needs time to recover and heal so that it can be stronger, faster, better.
According to an article in the Active Times, “When you perform excessive amounts of exercise without proper rest and recovery you may experience some harmful side effects including decreased performance, fatigue, altered hormonal states, poor sleeping patterns, reproductive disorders, decreased immunity, loss of appetite, and mood swings.”
Rest days are just as important to your workout routine as actually hitting the gym. Proper rest days help build muscle, strength and endurance. Rest days allow for your muscles to heal, repair and recover so that you are able to push yourself harder the next time you workout.
As it is with anything else, it’s all about moderation. If you take too many rest days it becomes counterproductive. One rest day a week is plenty, just make sure you take it. Rest days are easily overlooked and their benefits are so crucial that they should never be.
Source: http://www.theactivetimes.com/why-rest-days-are-just-important-working-out
